Is this title scary enough, Preeclampsia The New Silent Killer? I hope so because that was the point. Thousands of women are scared too, when they learn they have this disease but don’t know what it is.
Only recently is preeclampsia being talked about mainstream. Some of our favorite celebrities have had preeclampsia, one being Beyonce
What is preeclampsia?
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy related complication characterized by high blood pressure in women who didn’t have issues with blood pressure before. It usually develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
If left untreated the effects can turn fatal for both you and your baby especially if it turns into eclampsia.
Causes of preeclampsia
The exact cause of preeclampsia involves different factors. Experts believe it develops from the blood vessels in the placenta not developing like normal blood vessels. These blood vessels are narrower and react to hormonal changes improperly. This limits the amount of blood that can flow through them.
Blood pressure is the flow rate of blood to other organs and heart in the body.
Causes of this abnormal development can include:
- Insufficient blood flow to the uterus
- Damage to the blood vessels
- A problem with the immune system
- Certain genes
Risk Factors
Preeclampsia is only a complication of pregnancy, which is why I label preeclampsia as the new silent killer for pregnant women.
Risk factors can include:
- History of preeclampsia: a personal or family history of preeclampsia significantly increases your chances of developing it
- Chronic hypertension (high blood pressure)
- First pregnancy: the chance is higher in your first pregnancy
- New paternity: each pregnancy with a new partner increases your risk more so than a second or third pregnancy with the same partner
- Age: very young women or women over the age of 35 have a higher risk of preeclampsia
- Race: black women are at a higher risk than other races of women
- Obesity
- Multiple pregnancies: twins, triplets, etc
- Interval between pregnancies: less than 2 year space between pregnancies or more than 10 years increases your risk of developing preeclampsia
- History of certain conditions: having certain conditions before you become pregnant, such as diabetes, kidney disease, lupus, chronic high blood pressure, or a tendency to develop blood clots
- In vitro fertilization
Signs & Symptoms
Next, I will list some signs and symptoms of preeclampsia. Sometimes preeclampsia develops without any symptoms. Going to your prenatal appointment for regular blood pressure checks is the best way to catch preeclampsia. If you have a blood pressure number of 140/90 or higher contact your health provider.
Other symptoms can include:
- Excess protein in your urine
- Severe headaches
- Changes in vision
- Pain in upper abdomen, usually under your ribs on the right side
- Nausea and vomiting
- Decreased urine output
- Decreased level of platelets in your blood (thrombocytopenia)
- Impaired liver function
- Shortness of breath due to fluid accumulating in your lungs
Why I Call Preeclampsia The New Silent Killer
I call preeclampsia the new silent killer because of the way it sneaks up on you and causes severe complications. You may or may not have symptoms. Also, the main way to tell if you have it is to have regular blood pressure checks and urine checks.
Getting my blood pressure checked regularly was the only reason I found out anything was wrong the first time I had preeclampsia. I had no other symptoms. The second time I developed preeclampsia I had symptoms and took myself to the emergency room. Then my blood pressure was discovered to be sky high. You can read my story on dealing with preeclampsia in my last post, Be Your Own Advocate.
The only way to get rid of preeclampsia is to deliver your baby. When you develop preeclampsia is critical. The earlier in pregnancy is it discovered the greater the risk. Most doctors want baby to continue to develop as long as possible. Yet leaving preeclampsia untreated for too long can lead to severe complications.
It is a hard decision for you, your family, and your doctors. It is not one to take lightly as having a preterm baby can be scary. They may have to spend weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The second time I developed preeclampsia my son had to stay two weeks there.
Below is a list of other complications, not to scare you but just to inform you:
- Fetal growth restriction: restricted blood flow to the placenta can affect baby’s development
- Preterm birth
- Placental abruption: a condition in which the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus before it is time to deliver. Severe abruption can cause heavy bleeding and be life threatening for you and your baby.
- HELLP — which stands for hemolysis (the destruction of red blood cells), elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count — syndrome is a more severe form of preeclampsia and can rapidly become life-threatening for both you and your baby. Symptoms of HELLP syndrome include nausea and vomiting, headache, and upper right abdominal pain. HELLP syndrome is particularly dangerous because it represents damage to several organ systems. On occasion, it may develop suddenly, even before high blood pressure is detected, or it may develop without any symptoms at all.
- Eclampsia: preeclampsia with seizures. Delivery becomes necessary no matter how far along you are
- Other organ damage to the kidneys, liver, lung, heart, eyes, and cause heart attack or stroke
- Cardiovascular disease: having preeclampsia, especially more than once, increases your chances of developing heart and blood vessel disease
Usually if you develop preeclampsia once, you will most likely develop it again. I did twice and that factor solidified my choice to stop having children.
Researchers have no clear strategies to prevent this disease. They have theories and suggest taking certain vitamins or supplements. You should always consult a physician before taking any new medication (this includes vitamins, supplements, and herbs).
Conclusion
Preeclampsia is a severe complication during pregnancy that can lead to eclampsia, organ failure or even death. I call preeclampsia the new silent killer because it’s not talked about much in the mainstream media, but is gaining some awareness. I had preeclampsia twice, the first time without symptoms and the second time with symptoms, and had to deliver early both times in order to save both me and my baby. Once I delivered my baby, a few weeks later the preeclampsia was gone. I was told that I could develop cardiovascular problems in the future. That is scary. I do not want another mom to be unaware of this deadly disease that impacts black women greatly. Again this is not to scare you but to educate you to listen to your body and be your own advocate for you and your baby’s health.
As always,
Be You Confidently
*Resources and information obtained from The Mayo Clinic , click for more information. The information in this article is not to replace medical advice. Always talk to your health provider to make educated decisions regarding your health.
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Thank you for spreading awareness on pre-eclampsia. It’s something you hear about, but not much. It’s definitely important to know some of the signs and symptoms too, which I didn’t really know.
Thanks love. I did not know about pre-eclampsia until I had it. It is scary but curable after delivering the baby. Please pass this information on to other moms, thanks.
This is very common medical condition that a lot of moms experience during pregnancy and most often leads to premature birth, C-section deliveries and other complication. What i found most often from my clients is that most of them with Pre-eclampsia has a family history of hypertension
Wow very interesting to know.